Most if not all types of equipment are subject to down-time and periods of being out-of-service. Sometimes the equipment is malfunctioning; other times the equipment is taken down for routine preventative maintenance. Examples of the types of equipment subject to down-time include electrical utilities, water utilities, and public safety equipment. In the case of certain public safety equipment, such as fire hydrants and water outlets, which are found along many streets and attached to buildings, the equipment may be taken out of service because of faulty valves, leaks, or lack of water supply.
It is important to know when a fire hydrant is out of service. If a particular fire hydrant is not functional, the fire department would want to know that information in an emergency situation. Precious response time is lost if the fire truck comes to a stop by a fire hydrant and connects the fire hose only to discover that the unit is out of service when the valve is opened and no water flows.
To help fire fighting crews, water department maintenance workers often place out-of-service notice tags on non-functioning fire hydrants. The notification tag is typically a flat circular or rectangular card with a large opening in the middle, see FIG. 1. The threaded cap 10 over the fire hydrant fitting is removed and the out-of-service tag 12 is placed over the fitting. The cap is replaced to securely hold the tag in place. The tag may be colored red and displayed with a notice such as “out-of-service”.
When a fire truck is responding to a fire, the on-board crew will observe a fire hydrant as they approach the working area of the fire. Generally, the truck will not stop, but rather will slow down enough to allow one or more fire fighters to jump off the back with the fire hose in-tow. The fire fighters will connect the hose to the fire hydrant while the truck continues a short distance to the fire, deploying the fire hose as it goes.
If the fire hydrant happens to be out of service, the flat notice tag placed over the fitting would likely not be visible from the approaching fire truck because the tag faces the street. The flat tag is difficult to observe from the side, which is the viewing angle available to the on-board fire crew as the truck approaches the fire hydrant. It is even more difficult to see the flat tag from the side at night and during inclement weather as the truck approaches at high speed.
Consequently, if the driver does not see the notice tag by the time the fire fighter jumps off, the hose may be deployed before the fire fighters become aware of the out-of-service condition of the fire hydrant. Valuable response time is wasted as the crew attempts to re-group and find another functioning fire hydrant.
A need exists to display notice tags for out-of-service equipment which are viewable from convenient angles.